Molecular Engineering of Metal–Organic Frameworks as Efficient Electrochemical Catalysts for Water Oxidation
Journal
Advanced Materials
Date Issued
2023-01-01
Author(s)
Liu, Yizhe
Li, Xintong
Zhang, Shoufeng
Wang, Zilong
Wang, Qi
He, Yonghe
WEI-HSIANG HUANG
Sun, Qidi
Zhong, Xiaoyan
Hu, Jue
Guo, Xuyun
Lin, Qing
Li, Zhuo
Zhu, Ye
Chen, Chi Liang
Xu, Zhengtao
Zhu, Zonglong
Abstract
Metal–organic framework (MOF) solids with their variable functionalities are relevant for energy conversion technologies. However, the development of electroactive and stable MOFs for electrocatalysis still faces challenges. Here, a molecularly engineered MOF system featuring a 2D coordination network based on mercaptan–metal links (e.g., nickel, as for Ni(DMBD)-MOF) is designed. The crystal structure is solved from microcrystals by a continuous-rotation electron diffraction (cRED) technique. Computational results indicate a metallic electronic structure of Ni(DMBD)-MOF due to the Ni–S coordination, highlighting the effective design of the thiol ligand for enhancing electroconductivity. Additionally, both experimental and theoretical studies indicate that (DMBD)-MOF offers advantages in the electrocatalytic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) over non-thiol (e.g., 1,4-benzene dicarboxylic acid) analog (BDC)-MOF, because it poses fewer energy barriers during the rate-limiting *O intermediate formation step. Iron-substituted NiFe(DMBD)-MOF achieves a current density of 100 mA cm−2 at a small overpotential of 280 mV, indicating a new MOF platform for efficient OER catalysis.
Subjects
metal–organic frameworks | nickel–mercaptan links | oxygen evolution | thiol functionalization
SDGs
Publisher
WILEY-V C H VERLAG GMBH
Type
journal article